Thrustmaster TS-PC Issues

[Warren Dawes]

I'm hoping someone can help me.
I recently purchased a Thrustmaster TS-PC to replace my trusty G27. Unfortunately, it's turning into a frustrating experience.
When I first installed it, all went well and it was detected and calibrated as expected. I tested a few buttons and FFB's and all looked good. I then tried to use it in AC but while assigning the axes and buttons, it suddenly started calibrating again. I hopped out of AC, and disconnected and reconnected the wheel to my PC. After about 5 mins, it switched off, switched on again and calibrated again, without me touching it. After checking all connections, it just kept disconnecting and reconnecting.
So, I installed it to my other PC. Same problem, continually disconnecting all on it's own.

After contacting the distributor, we arranged for the unit to be returned. The distributor raised an RMA with Thrustmaster, who requested that the distributor test the unit. After testing, the distributor claimed it was working ok, and sent it back to me.

I've now received it back, and now things have gotten worse. I can't get any life out of it at all.
The wheel isn't detected after installing the driver. It is not detected in the Control Panel or the Firmware Updater. I've tried installing it to three different PC's (Win 7, Win 8.2, Win 10) but still it shows no sign of life. The power light never lights up at any time.
I've tried numerous actions, different power points, different USB slots, I've tried with newer and older driver software. Tried an alternate USB cable. Tried disconnecting / re-connecting the wheel to the base unit. Even tried the Thrustmaster FAQ option to wake up the wheel / update the firmware by holding the buttons 11 and 12 while connecting the USB.
Nothing I do gets it to show any signs of life.

My dilemma: The Distributor says he tested it as ok, for me it seems dead.

Has anyone here had similar experiences and can suggest what I might be doing wrong?

 

[dwightyone]

Do you need the rim attached to bring it to life, and if you do, could there be a compatibility issue if you're using a rim from an old wheel base?

 

[Audii-Dudii]

Do you need the rim attached to bring it to life, and if you do, could there be a compatibility issue if you're using a rim from an old wheel base?

No. So long as the power is turned on, the base will turn on and run through its calibration cycle with or without a wheel installed as soon as it detects an active USP port.

I know this for a fact because yesterday morning, I did exactly that while I had the wheel off to install the new paddles I made from some scraps of carbon fiber...

And except maybe some positively ancient wheel, any wheel that can be mounted on the base should also work.

 

[dwightyone]

Okie dokie - I've ordered the TS XW so hoping I don't have the same issue...

 

[Daga]

I gave mine back, thanks Amazon for this. However now the price for a new wheelbase is raised of at least 100euros. Damn..

 

[Injafaz]

No native Thrustmeter TS-PC Racers led support in game is a joke. I suppose we can count ourselves lucky we don't need 3rd party software for the buttons or FFB to work.

 

[dwightyone]

Use a program called fanaled or maybe it's called fanled - cant remember exactly but it is recommended by Thrustmaster and it works with quite a few sims very well. Think it was 2 quid donation or something like that. Dunno why Thrustmaster can't sort it out...

 

[GOGUL]

I'm hoping someone can help me.
I recently purchased a Thrustmaster TS-PC to replace my trusty G27. Unfortunately, it's turning into a frustrating experience.
When I first installed it, all went well and it was detected and calibrated as expected. I tested a few buttons and FFB's and all looked good. I then tried to use it in AC but while assigning the axes and buttons, it suddenly started calibrating again. I hopped out of AC, and disconnected and reconnected the wheel to my PC. After about 5 mins, it switched off, switched on again and calibrated again, without me touching it. After checking all connections, it just kept disconnecting and reconnecting.
So, I installed it to my other PC. Same problem, continually disconnecting all on it's own.

After contacting the distributor, we arranged for the unit to be returned. The distributor raised an RMA with Thrustmaster, who requested that the distributor test the unit. After testing, the distributor claimed it was working ok, and sent it back to me.

I've now received it back, and now things have gotten worse. I can't get any life out of it at all.
The wheel isn't detected after installing the driver. It is not detected in the Control Panel or the Firmware Updater. I've tried installing it to three different PC's (Win 7, Win 8.2, Win 10) but still it shows no sign of life. The power light never lights up at any time.
I've tried numerous actions, different power points, different USB slots, I've tried with newer and older driver software. Tried an alternate USB cable. Tried disconnecting / re-connecting the wheel to the base unit. Even tried the Thrustmaster FAQ option to wake up the wheel / update the firmware by holding the buttons 11 and 12 while connecting the USB.
Nothing I do gets it to show any signs of life.

My dilemma: The Distributor says he tested it as ok, for me it seems dead.

Has anyone here had similar experiences and can suggest what I might be doing wrong?

My TS-PC Racer just died, I was plugging it only when I was using it and after 2 weeks I just wanted to drive a moment at rFactor2 and my wheel is simply dead. I tried everything, but there isn't even a sound when I plug it into the PC. It looks very very weird to me. It looks very very weird to me. I try to reorganize the plugs on the power-bar, suspecting a sudden lake of power but nothing I could try (from everything I read) works.
After using Sim-Racing Wheels since 33years, its the very first time i see that. I cant say that im disapointed cuz it serve me very well since a year. I allways drive it in the best conditions and It’s unacceptable to see an $800 steering wheel just stop living like that.

 

[RasmusP]

My TS-PC Racer just died, I was plugging it only when I was using it and after 2 weeks I just wanted to drive a moment at rFactor2 and my wheel is simply dead. I tried everything, but there isn't even a sound when I plug it into the PC. It looks very very weird to me. It looks very very weird to me. I try to reorganize the plugs on the power-bar, suspecting a sudden lake of power but nothing I could try (from everything I read) works.
After using Sim-Racing Wheels since 33years, its the very first time i see that. I cant say that im disapointed cuz it serve me very well since a year. I allways drive it in the best conditions and It’s unacceptable to see an $800 steering wheel just stop living like that.

Sounds like a dead power supply to me and not necessarily a dead wheel.
I'd try to get another power supply to make sure it's not just that.

Maybe other ts-pc users can tell us if you can use the wheel without the power supply, without ffb.
The G27 can be used like that. My csw 2.5 can not.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

My TS-PC just 'died' too, but this was after I updated the firmware from 11-R7 to 13-R7. I went through the whole process, rebooted, plugged in the wheel and got nothing. No sound or initialisation process, and no recognition in Windows.

I then went through the firmware process again, and it was recognised right away.

I know it's a different issue to the OP, but it might be worth trying to run the Thrustmaster firmware update software, just in case it works.

 

[dwightyone]

My TS-PC Racer just died, I was plugging it only when I was using it and after 2 weeks I just wanted to drive a moment at rFactor2 and my wheel is simply dead. I tried everything, but there isn't even a sound when I plug it into the PC. It looks very very weird to me. It looks very very weird to me. I try to reorganize the plugs on the power-bar, suspecting a sudden lake of power but nothing I could try (from everything I read) works.
After using Sim-Racing Wheels since 33years, its the very first time i see that. I cant say that im disapointed cuz it serve me very well since a year. I allways drive it in the best conditions and It’s unacceptable to see an $800 steering wheel just stop living like that.

Is the red light on in the front of the bottom hand left side of the wheel base - is power getting there? If not maybe use a multi-meter to see if power is coming through the power brick? Also, check fuses and google to see if there is an internal fuse - but either way check the fuse for the power brick. Also, the cables going into the back of the TS PC really do need a good FIRM push in to the connector - one requires a firm click, that's caught me out before. Also, if you take the wheel rim off does the steering column then spin and turn?

If you have power there then I would be thinking to myself have I updated to Windows 10 or something - with updates older wheels can be finnicky about USB ports (mine likes USB 2 rather than USB 3). Have you updated the wheel firmware - the later ones give me problems whereas the 2020 version is great. If you have red light power there is a firmware bootloader for the TS PC - you may have corrupted firmware - try this. Failing that uninstall the TS PC first and also uninstall the device itself from device manager and re-install everything again and use an older Thrustmaster software. If the older ones doesn't work then do the uninstall again and use the very latest Thrustmaster software.

Bootloader firmware not general TS PS Software: https://ts.thrustmaster.com/download/accessories/manuals/TSPCRacer/TS-PC_Bootloader_Method.pdf

This wheel is a really good wheel and I have two of them and they take a huge bashing and just work without failure and the FFB is really good - I doubt the basic Fanatic DD 5NM is much better when considering the price to performance ratio. If all else fails above I would get another power brick to eliminate that as this wheel is worth the effort.

 

[namelok]

Thanks for the suggestion.
Unfortunately, I have already done all of this, at least twice. I also freshly installed the software / firmware on two separate PC's, and so did the independent Computer Sales / Service Centre. I can't update the firmware because the wheel isn't detected in the software.
The only suggestions I got from Thrustmaster was "were you using a USB Hub (which I wasn't), and were you or the independent tester using an extension cord" , before they seem to have wiped me.

Connecting the wheel directly to my computer instead via hub solved my issue with TS-PC. My new base was randomly going off-center left or right, and staying off-center. No hub fixed the issue, thanks!